Twitch
by Twilight Scribe
Summary: What was that? Acting on reflex alone, Link was on his feet with his sword drawn before his mind even registered what was amiss. Out of the corner of his eye he had seen something twitch...


AN: Don't blink.

* * *

What was that?

Acting on reflex alone, Link was on his feet with his sword drawn before his mind even registered what was amiss. Out of the corner of his eye he had seen something twitch. He could have sworn he saw movement, but as Link scanned the area for possibly dangerous things, he couldn't find any. No monsters waiting to attack, no townsfolk out for a late-night stroll...

It didn't make sense. What could have moved? Link knew for a fact that the only living things still awake on all of Windfall Island were himself and that moon gazer Kamo, sitting back on the stairs into town, and neither of them were moving. After a few more tense moments of searching Link shook his head and sat back down, dismissing the phantom movement as a fleeting figment of his imagination. Maybe he had been adventuring for too long. Being constantly on alert, ever-vigilant against the forces of evil couldn't be healthy. Once he finally stopped to think about it, Link realized with a small start that he hadn't slept in several days either.

That was it, he was just exhausted. A victim of too many days spent fighting for his life at sea, kept alive only by the grace of his Grandma's hearty soup. (Link was always especially thankful for that second serving she gave him.) He'd known that saving the world would be tough when he started, but this was just silly. Still, it was nice to know there was nothing wrong with him that a little sleep wouldn't fix.

Finally allowing himself to relax, Link leaned back against one of the four Skull Totems that adorned the top of the town's archway gate. They were ones he bought and put up there himself a long time ago. Link knew that Mrs. Marie and the Joyous Volunteer Association wanted happier and more cheery things than bizarre skulls on pikes to decorate the town, but he couldn't help it. The Skull Totems appealed to him with the way they just oozed mystery. Plus, they were surprisingly comfortable to lean against. A lot sturdier than flags could ever be and they didn't get your back wet like the Fountain Idols did. It was good to have them on nights like this, when there wasn't a cloud in the sky and the full moon was shining bright. Link yawned, thinking about how the Ghost Ship was probably off terrorizing Crescent Moon Island as he sat watching the moonlight reflecting off the gentle waves as they broke against the docks. Good thing Crescent Moon Island was uninhabited, he could just stay here and rest.

Yawning again, Link felt exactly how tired he really was, an adventure's worth of fatigue catching up with him all at once, and for the first time he didn't fight it. There was no ship to captain, no battles to be won, no little sister depending on him to save her. This time Link could just close his eyes and drift off to sleep. He was almost out, in the farthest reaches of that hazy zone between sleep and waking, when Link felt something squirm against his back.

Gone was sleep. Link panicked, jumping away from the base of the Skull Totem and, in his distress, misjudged the distance slightly. He tucked into a ball as his leap carried him over the edge of the stone wall and hit the ground in a somersault to break his fall. As soon as he stopped rolling, Link drew his sword and stared back up at the top of the gate. Now he knew he wasn't just seeing things earlier, there was something lurking around. You can't feel hallucinations.

Whatever was up there hadn't jumped down to pursue him. Maybe it was still waiting on top. A monster was creeping around Windfall. Link wouldn't allow it, not while he was Hero of the Winds.

Casting a glance through the archway to make sure the monster hadn't harmed Kamo, Link circled around to the city's back entrance. By creeping up the back way and cutting through the town's central plaza he could conceal his approach and ambush the monster, trapping it on top of the gate. Link moved as silently as he could, sticking to the deep shadows provided by nearby buildings. The exact spot where he'd been sitting before was in plain view and...

Nothing was there.

Link cursed under his breath, repeating every one of the words he'd learned from Tetra's crew, but kept himself hidden just in case. The thing might still be near. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, steeling himself for battle, but when he opened his eyes again what Link saw made his heart skip a beat. The Skull Totems were moving. All four of them, wiggling back and forth. Not blown and jostled by the wind, but actually moving under their own volition. Had they always been able to do that, writhing around when people's backs were turned? Link was sure of it now. The monster, the thing that moved, it was the Skull Totems!

One must have jumped earlier when he wasn't looking, but he caught the movement in his peripheral vision. Then, when he was almost asleep, the Totems must have thought themselves free to stretch. If the things only moved when people weren't watching, it would make sense. At night there were no townsfolk walking around and those who were awake were focused on the moon, the only thing the Skull Totems needed to be wary of was Link sitting near them.

Still hiding in the shadows, Link shuddered. His past experiences with animated skeletons and moving skulls had not been good. Visions of staggering Stalfos and cackling Red and Blue Bubbles wreaking havoc on Windfall filled his mind. Link didn't know what sort of creature the Skull Totems really were. He had no idea if they were actually a threat, but if they were anything like what he had faced before... They would decimate the town. He wouldn't be able to live with himself knowing that he had let it happen. It was clear what Link had to do. He had to gather up all the Skull Totems on Windfall Island and take them to a secluded place where they could never hurt anyone. It would take a few trips to get them all, but he knew just the place.

Opening up his messenger bag, Link strode forwards. The way the Skull Totem closest to him halted, seizing up in mid-wiggle, confirmed his suspicions. The others hadn't noticed him yet. Link lifted the stiff Skull Totem out of its decorative base and placed it into his bag as silently as possible, then turned to the remaining three. He had to act fast. Holding the bag as wide-open as he could, Link lunged at the second Totem, scooping it up before the thing even realized he was there. The third and fourth Totems stopped their gyrations and swiveled on their posts to stare at him, leering with their empty eye sockets as if to say "Oh, you've discovered our plan. So what? You'll never stop us." Link gritted his teeth and charged, grabbing the third Totem before it could attack and shoving it in with the other two.

The bag was practically full, but Link knew he couldn't leave that last Totem, not when it could warn the others positioned all over the island. It would just have to ride in the back of the boat. Link grabbed it and dashed to the docks where the King of Red Lions was moored, the Skull Totem wriggling for freedom the entire way.

- X -

Link didn't like it, not one bit, but it was the only way to be sure the Skull Totems were contained. An all-but-deserted private island was the perfect place to sequester the things; and they would serve a purpose by deterring trespassers from his property while he was away, so there was at least one positive think Link could gain from the whole fiasco... But he still didn't feel entirely comfortable as he looked out the window of his cabana at the Skull Totems wiggling and twitching on his front porch.

It had been two days since he finished transporting all the Skull Totems to his island and something told Link that this would be yet another night without sleep.

* * *

AN: I adore Skull Totems. They're way better than the other items Zunari sells. Of course, they do wiggle and, like I said, it's a little disconcerting to see...


End file.
